Every time we are generous we make God happy. Generous giving is an act of worship that honors God. Philippians 4:18 "I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God." Those of you who are parents, Are you happy when your kids are selfish and won't share their toys?No. Ar...
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Are you connected with a group of believers, the church? Or are you just attending a service at a building? There are only two ways to get into a family. You can either be born into it, or you can be adopted into it. The Bible says God does both for you. It's called being born again, AND it's called being adopted into the family of God. God does them both.The significance...
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Psalm 23:1-2 (NIV) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. These images are actually a metaphor. These images represent REST and REFRESHMENT. When he makes me lie down in green pastures, that's rest, and when he leads me beside quiet waters, that's refreshment. We are going into a holiday week. For...
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"You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich." 2 Cor. 8:9 This verse talks about God's generous gift of grace through Christ. In light of what Jesus Christ has done for us, how can we show our gratitude to God? What does that look like? What do we owe Jesus Chri...
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Next weekend in America we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We are entering a season where we pause and give thanks. A season centered around gratitude and giving. But, what if you don't feelthankful this Thanksgiving? What do you do during Thanksgiving if you are in a season of waiting? Waiting for a promise to be fulfilled. Waiting for a prayer to be answered. How can...
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Deep inside all of us have a deep desire to feel worthwhile. We all want to feel significant. We all want to feel that we matter. We all want to feel that if we were to die, somebody would miss us, that we're not just taking up space and that our life has meaning, significance and purpose. In fact, we spend much of our life being motivated to do things that we hope will a...
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Yesterday, we talked about What Is Heaven? Today, I wanted to continue the discussion and talk about our role in heaven. What will we do in heaven? That's a big question. When people put on tombstones they write, R.I.P; rest in peace, in heaven.Okay, yeah, well, I'd like to rest, maybe for a few weeks, but do I want to rest for all of eternity? No. That sounds Boring! We...
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Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." This is the biggest, ultimate expression of God's goodness. This is the eternal goodness of God to us. What is heaven? Ephesians 2:5-7 It is only by God's grace that you have been saved! For he r...
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God blesses us not just for our own pleasure or happiness. God blesses us so we can then be a blessing to other people. We can be their answer to prayer. God doesn't give us money, talent, abilities, opportunities, networks, etc simply for our benefit. God says, "I want you to be a blessing to other people." And, when you bless others and God gives you that opportunity, t...
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